Predicting Rays’ biggest move before MLB trade deadline

There is nothing flukish about the Tampa Bay Rays. They are in first place in the American League East and they have played with determination and consistency since the start of the season.

The Rays always have to compete against rich teams like the Yankees. Blue Jays and Red Sox, and they have learned how to hold their own against teams that have far more resources than they do. Instead of throwing up their hands and bemoaning their fate, the Rays have set an example of standing up to the best teams and more than holding their own.

The Rays have the best record in the American League. They have an opportunity to win the No. 1 seed in the AL playoffs this year and they should have an excellent chance of representing the American League in the World Series.

As they approach the 100-game mark this season, manager Kevin Cash knows that he has the kind of team that leaves it all on the field on an every-night basis.

However, that doesn’t mean the team can sustain its success for the rest of the season. If the Rays want to hold on to their position, they need to bring in the kind of players through trades that will allow them to play their best in the most important games of the season.

There are players that the Rays need to try to secure on the trade front. Many of the names have been mentioned since the early part of the season, while others are going to become more prominent in the days leading up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Rays can go after the biggest name — Tarik Skubal

Unlike other teams that have postseason possibilities because the American League has been so underwhelming this year, the Rays are the real deal. They don’t have to settle for bargain-basement additions. They can go after the top names available.

Tarik Skubal of the Tigers has been mentioned since the end of last seasons as a player the Tigers are willing to move. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and he has not signed a new deal with the Tigers — meaning that he is not going to stay in Detroit.

If the Tigers are going to get something for him, they have to deal him. They can fool themselves into believing they are still playoff contenders because they are just 3.5-games out of the third and final Wild Card position, but that would be a mistake.

The Tigers are better off trading Skubal and getting something for him, and president of baseball operations Scott Harris is smart enough to know that.

The Rays are the right team for him because they are a team capable of getting to and winning the World Series. The Rays would be underdogs in the Series to the Dodgers or any of the top National League contenders, but manager Kevin Cash gets the most out of this overachieving team.

Skubal is a legitimate ace. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had a minimally invasive procedure on his elbow in May, but he is back in the rotation for the Tigers. He has a 5-5 record with a 3.09 earned run average. He has struck out 89 batters in 75.2 innings. While that is not the Cy Young form he had in each of the last two seasons, there is no reason to think he won’t return to that form throughout the rest of the season.

He is a pitcher who can dominate for the Rays, and they need to send the Tigers a couple of key prospects and a rostered player to acquire his services. It could turn the Rays into a World Series-winning team.

Finding an infield bat would give the lineup more depth